3 42 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



On this same siil).iect a letter written by Mr. S. McKelvie, of 

 Fairfield, Nebraska, who was unable to be present, Avas read by 

 the secretary. It follows : 



I am sorry and regret very much that I cannot be with you. I have 

 always enjoyed your meetings. While this is a very busy season of the 

 year for swine men to get from home, as all hog raisers while making 

 a specialty of the swine industry are engaged in mixed husbandry as well, 

 yet enough have attended these meetings to make them of interest and 

 advantage. 



In fact, if it had not been for your Iowa breeders taking hold and assist- 

 ing the score card would have died in its infancy. After its conception 

 and being born in the east it came west to grow up with the country, 

 making its first stop in Nebraska, but finding it to be at that time too 

 much of a short grass country, its next meeting place was assigned in 

 connection with your state swine meeting at Des Moines where it has 

 since remained and due to their credit has been kept alive during a time 

 of somewhat adverse conditions toward its development. Many have as- 

 sailed it as being the cause of about all the ills the pure-bred swine busi- 

 ness has fallen heir to. 



It is at the risk of being called a crank that a word is said in favor of 

 the score card. Just why this should be we are at some loss to know, 

 unless when first brought to light too much was claimed for it. We well 

 remember many years ago when swine breeders began to agitate the ad- 

 visability of some sort of a standard of excellence whereby a more uni- 

 form type of animal could be produced and shown at our fairs. As we 

 remember, this need of uniformity was most felt among the breeders 

 of Poland Chinas, this coming about no doubt from the fact that this 

 breed, being made up from the mingling of the blood of some four breeds 

 and at that time as a pure bred (showing the skill and handiwork of 

 the American farmer) Avas of recent origin. In fact, the originators of 

 the score card were breeders of Poland China swine. Prominent among 

 them were S. M. Shephard, "Uncle Jimmie" Hankinson and others of 

 Ohio, Indiana and Illinois whom many of us older breeders have well 

 in mind. 



Since the origin of the card a similar standard has been adopted for 

 all pure-bred breeds of swine, differing in the main in the breed type 

 of the different breeds. This, we believe, is as it should be, especially 

 in the corn-belt district. While we have a distinct difference in breed 

 type, the main considerations, i. e., that of productiveness, feeding quali- 

 ties and commercial value, are or should be the same. 



As we have said, the original idea in formulating the card was to fix 

 a standard of excellence that we might have in mind to attain to in 

 our business. We believe this was a wise thing to do and should be 

 retained. If by study and discussion it is found wanting, then it should 

 be revised. All breeds of swine should be represented in the revision. 



The value of the score card as an educator to the mind of the young 

 and new swine breeder cannot be questioned. While too much has been 

 presumed for the card in its first introduction, such as its use in the 



